It was freezing outside! The cold air pelted against our under acclimated skin as we waited in anxious anticipation for our parents to arrive. We had spent 9 months in hot and humid whether so to be in the mountains of the Kijabe region of Kenya was quite the transition. The cold however was suspended with the warm arrival of our parents. A long awaited embrace that floods your mind with different emotions. Nothing is like a long awaited mothers hug; there is something beautiful in its simplicity.
My parents are incredible. I am so blessed to have them, and I did nothing to deserve it. They are just wonderful. My mother has taught me to be intentional. To love people where they are at, to pursue when they give you a cold shoulder and not expect anything in return. She has taught me what is expected of a man, how to honor people well and to cherish the little things. To actively listen to people so you can fully understand their heart. She is exceptional, and though I have strayed from the truths she has taught me over the years they are forever engrained on my heart.
My father doesn’t teach so much by word but by action. He has taught me the value of words and the importance of integrity. He embodies the phrase do unto others as you wish them to do unto you. He taught me to live by truths and be grounded in my values. That work ethic and how you provide for those around you is a mark of a man and that service is an extension of love. That we are called to be selfless and only hold material things for what they are… things. Although he’s had to be patient with my stubbornness, he has never given up on me. They are two very different people that have taught me and molded me in their own unique way, and for that I am truly blessed. And to have my mom join me for a mission trip and my dad to join me for an evening meant the world to me.
So I continue this story on the first day of ministry in Kijabe. We simply walked around and prayed the first day. We visited one of the hospitals and had the opportunity to pray over the patients. It was really powerful, before the lady leading the prayer walk even asked us to start praying, my mom was already talking to one of the mothers that we had come to visit. She was amazing. With no hesitance she pursued these people. She has such a compassionate heart that she places herself in their shoes and loves them where they’re at. Powerful way to minister and to be an extension of Christ love to somebody.
That day we went out and rebuilt the wall for a small house with a beautiful view of the Great Rift Valley. These small hut houses cover the sides of the mountains and they are mostly made of a mud, hay, and cow dung mixture that supposedly lasts for years. The downside of these houses is that they are susceptible to rain and the reason we were rebuilding this wall was because a mudslide had destroyed one of her walls. It was a tough day of work. We stripped out a good portion of the wall and removed the mud that had caused the wall to collapse. My mom worked crazy hard. She worked hard and brought so much joy. She took a break from building and went up and played with the kids. There were about 30 or so children that had spectated this building event and they watched, pointed and laughed as we worked. It was so much fun. Then out of nowhere my mom went up and started loving on the kids like she does best. She taught them hopscotch and let them play with her hair. She just loved them so well, and then loved some more.
The next day we went back to the hospital and we got to listen to this powerful stories of people that have next to nothing but have the earnest desire to help those around them. She was encouraging and wherever she went she brought a huge smile that filled the room. She always made the effort to boost people’s spirits and to give them hope. She does that. Looking back over my life she has always encouraged me, always given me hope to press further. To never give up despite my circumstances to always run harder and faster for the things that I desire.
One night there was a huge storm that blew in over Kijabe and devastated the village. The Railroad tracks had flooded out and massive rivers now ran through the middle of the city. It was unreal and the plans for the day changed drastically. We spent the entire morning trying to salvage this family’s home and it was encouraging at the end of the day when their whole family came around and thanked us for our help we got to finish with prayers for each other. As we walked back from that family’s home we were stopped by the guy we had worked with earlier in the week, who we rebuilt a wall to the ladies home. He stopped by us on the road and we overheard that the home that we had just helped reconstruct early that week had collapsed and three children had died. A sickening feeling hit us in our stomachs and I could see my mother and her compassionate heart flood with emotion.
Ministry brings all kinds of crazy twist and turns. Sometimes you are celebrating the birth of someone in Christ Kingdom and the next you can be ministering to someone dying of HIV. We are born into a fallen world and are blessed to share the love of Christ with some people that will never have the chance to hear or to feel His love. After getting some alone time we later heard that it was not in fact the home that we had worked on, but a home further down the mountain. There was a brief feeling of relief, but I can only imagine that one of those kids we played with on the mountain passed away in that house.
We pass hundreds of people each day and sometimes we miss the chance to extend Christ love, because we are so caught in our circumstances or mood. After that news my mother and I hopped in a van and headed back out to ministry to love on some more kids.
I learned from my mom that you must take every opportunity to love and cherish those around you. That you don’t have to wait for someone to tell you to do it, but its something that naturally comes from who Christ is in you. We have to cherish these moments we have with each other, because so often we waste it on petty things and un-forgiveness.
I am so thankful for that week with my mom. I am thankful for our conversations and laughs. I am thankful for the way she poured out to the people of Kijabe, and above all I am thankful for all the ways she has encouraged and pushed me over the years.
I am honored and blessed to call her my mom.
